He is calculating, highly intelligent, strong in will and physical strength, a strategic mastermind, has had a family he loved, is unwavering in his beliefs, adheres to a code of honor, is not sadistic, not impulsive and believes in a concept that cannot be that easily dismissed as false or "evil". He may very well be a nietzschean Übermensch. And, like so many infamous potentates in human history, the mountains of bodies he leaves in his wake, no matter how big, do not inhibit his vision of utopia. After all, the ends justify the means. Do they?
I don’t see that Thanos is motivated by revenge. I see that he sees what ruined Titan, and has chosen to stop it every where else. He is acting as a savior. Possible grandiose narcissist.
It might kill you inside a little bit to know that in the comics his entire motivation for gathering the Infinity Gems and wiping out half the souls in the universe was to make the physical embodiment of death - Mistress Death/Lady Death, whatever you want to call the Eternal - fall in love with him. It's a huge unrequited love story. And it's been that way since the 1980s. The one-shot "Deadpool vs. Thanos" has them fighting over her because she's in love with Wade - even makes a "that's what she said" joke about 'bones' or something right in front of Thanos, making out with Wade. It's fucking hysterical but also a good story overall - Wilson does things to both provoke rage and inspire admiration in Thanos. You should pick it up, it's a cool little isolated story of its own that doesn't require much in the way of previous knowledge of either character.
Matthew Kelly it might kill you inside a little bit to know that the comics basically have no relevancy to the MCU. Spider-Man and Iron Man in the MCU are not as comic accurate as everyone seems to believe they are and as a matter of fact, Thanos in infinity war is a MUCH better written villain than he is in the comics
@@southpark645 Oh, I know that. That's why I said the person who wrote the original comment would be surprised at how shallow his motivations were back when the Infinity saga first took place - he's been more fleshed-out as a character in the nearly 30 years since then.
There is nothing necessary about Thanos. He commit genocide because he's psychotic. He could have made infinite resources with the glove but choose to kill instead.
Thanos (at least in infinity war) feels a lot like an ancient horror. With his trashing of the avengers it becomes apparent that he is an inevitable force, he is not a threat, Thanos is a promise- that promise is that death comes, and it is out of our control no matter how hard we try, death comes.
Not TRUE! Do you know about the design of this character...not in the MCU...but his original creation. He is in love with death...THAT IS his character.. and that origin was implemented into the MCU version of Thanos. His obsession is with death and to please her, whatever the cost.
Bruh that cartoony version made to be symbolically beautiful was obviously not at all implied as his motives .. fetish for death main driver in movies which is being discussed ?? Nope 👎 Geek 🤓 saying “ but in the texts it was this way so that’s the only way to view this regardless of this films reality that clearly made many changes in stories it was inspired by “ Yup 👍🏻 Congrats you did it .. your officially that dude
The devil and his temptation is represented by red skull and the soul stone. He didn't "make"Thanos kill Gomorrah he only told him what the price of his desires where.
They're the same Thanos though. His ego paints him as some kind of savior and he acts the part when things are in his favor. The moment his vision is questioned, he lashes out violently. Notice how he frequently used the word "grateful?" At it's core, Thanos' mission wasn't about saving people, it was proving himself right. The scary part is he can't tell the difference.
@@Karas540 Same here, bud. Marvel confirmed he'll be donning his comicbook accurate mask, to boot. Marvel Studios: the dream fulfillment corporation. Stay tuned, true believer!
I'm happy about that because he was a good villain...but is he seriously still on his anti-avenger crusade after the Snap/the Avengers saved the dang universe???
Thanos is terrifying because he is everything you wouldnt want to fight. He's an unrelenting force that never waivers. So much so that you could compare him to death itself
@Thomas Grey Yeah his reason in the movie is dumb and would fail , half the population gone but it would just go and rise back up. Thanos in the comics , litterly causes mass genocide. All because he wants his Waifu to noice him.
I think the fact that he actually doesn’t seem to enjoy what he does in Infinity War also makes it worse. Because he doesn’t do it for self satisfaction, he does it because it’s a higher calling only he can accomplish, and he’s been forced into a cause, by seeing the future of what happensif he doesn’t do what he must.
Alexander Angelus Which is why I hate his portrayal in Endgame. The entire point of his character in Infinity War was that he didn’t want to kill half the universe, he felt that he had to. By the end of Endgame, however, he just becomes a mustache twirling “I must destroy the world and reshape it as I see fit” villain. He seeks to destroy the universe for the satisfaction of destroying everyone that opposes him, which instantly made him a much less sympathetic character to me.
@@mr.cup6yearsago211 There is clear precedent though, and it's very blatantly established. Because, yeah, he won in Infinity War, but so what? He saw the future, he saw he'd get decapitated, and the Avengers would seek to undo what he accomplished, and they'd actually have a chance to do it. Thanos made a whole lot of sense in Endgame as a character. We may have liked his more nuanced approach in Infinity War, sure, but why would he go about doing the same thing when he saw that it didn't work? He saw he gets executed, his plan is on the way to be undone, so of course he'd change trajectories, since there would be people who would attempt to thwart his original plan of half measures. Yeah, he becomes a little bit more one note, but if it was you, and you were trying to be more merciful in your own twisted way, and then saw that everything goes to shit on your part, why try to recreate what results in your failure?
Alexander Angelus Personally what I’d try to do is defeat the Avengers, and then go along with my plan anyway, since they were the only ones that were really combatting him. The issue for me is that he seems to want to destroy the Avengers and THEN destroy the universe, which just makes no sense. I dunno, I just really didn’t like how blatantly evil he was in Endgame, even if he had a passable reason to justify his incredible ruthlessness.
@@mr.cup6yearsago211 In the MCU it's established that there are multiple worlds out there, with superpowered beings. The Avengers were a collective that showed up, but Thanos was made aware that there could be similar people to them. They were just the ones to catch on, and there was a major chance there were others like them out there who could undo what he did anyway. And of course he'd first go for the Avengers on his second try. They had the Infinity Stones all collected in a gauntlet, which some could be able to use for all he knew, it was a matter of obtaining it before they used it. They were standing between him and it, why would he not try to take them out first? What was the alternative on that?
Thanos is so terrifying because he is so blunt. He revealed his plan to everyone and according to Nebula, he never lies. Thanos gets what he wants, and him being so blunt is portraying him as powerful and scary.
Joe Shaloom what he wants to do is the right thing by halving the population to help save planets from over population but he's doing it the wrong way by doing genoicde
Joe Shaloom Thanos had rational motivations. He saw the unsustainability of the universe with its finite resources and ever growing population. What beetle is saying is that while Thanos had "good" intentions by trying to save the universe from impending disaster, as we saw happen on Titan, his execution by means of mass genocide is obviously wrong. I don't think Beetle wants to kill half the worlds population chill out. Although I have to say it was random. Was he actually evil or wrong? Drastic measures and that.
Not about wanting to fix things, but rather getting overloaded with unilateral self-proclaimed views to conveniently rule out certain principles by, again, feeling in the utmost absolute to supposedly decide. As some wise philosopher once said: "Arrogance turn angels into demons, and uncertainties allow men to become human". Twisting more a bit, When wanting to fix things goes overload, it boils to that quote: "Power corrupts, and absolute power, corrupts absolutely". Reality may sound inconsistent, but it's always flipping tables in reverse...
Thanos of the MCU is frightening because he's *relateable* and we all can understand his motivations pretty clearly. In the comics, sometimes not so much.
@@imapotato2349 Nope. Genocide as defined by the U.N is "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such." His intent was to save these groups. All be it he's wrong about this actually saving people, but that's not the point.
@@feralchangeling97 *Thanos* : 'looks at universal mountain of corpse' You did this. *Death* : *No, you did. Your powerflex cost the lives of trillions of innocent people. Someone has to pay for your crimes, Thanos. Who's it going to be?* ___ *Thanos* : What happened here was out of my control. *Death* : *Was it? None of this would've happened if you'd just stopped. But oooon you marched. And for what?* *Thanos* : I... I tried to save them. *Death* : *You're no savior. Your talents lie elsewhere.* *Thanos* : This isn't my fault... *Death* : *It takes a strong man to deny what's in front of him. And if the truth is undeniable, you create your own. The truth, Thanos, is that you're here because you wanted to feel like something you're not: A hero. I'm here because you can't accept what you've done. It broke you. You needed someone to blame, so you cast it on me : a natural cycle.* ___ *Death* : *I know the truth is hard to hear, Thanos, but it's time. You're all that's left, and we can't live this lie forever. (lifts her arms in a snapping pose at Thanos) I'm going to count to five, then I'm snapping those fingers.* *Thanos* : You're not real, this is all in my head. *Death* : *Are you sure? Maybe it's in mine... ONE.* *Thanos* : No... Everything... all this... it was YOUR fault! *Death* : *If that's what you believe, then end me! TWO.* *Thanos* : I... I never meant to hurt anybody. *Death* : *No one ever does, Thanos. THREE.* *Death* : *Is this really what you want, Thanos?* *Death* : *So be it... FIVE.* *SNAP*
@@chaospacemarine8330 I can already imagine Death being his imagination in Endgame, there needs to be a comic about this sorta thing. Maybe a game where we play as Thanos in an alternate world where he suffers this after the Snap. I can imagine the suicide option being using the Time Stone and going back to when Thanos Snapped and instead, he Snaps himself away, saying he wasn't strong enough with visible tears, the injured and battered heroes looking on in bewilderment.
@@feralchangeling97 Well, I believe Thanos erasing himself at all times out of guilt would be more fitting than trying to ward off his own being. *THE ONLY VILLAIN HERE, IS YOU, THANOS. THERE'S ONLY YOU.*
Vlad 117 because I love God and want to glorify him, and I want people to have a relationship with him as well. That’s the only true value I get from this life.
@Myke Hawke lmao your point is illogical. And thanos’s ideology had nothing to do with religion so no, I’m not proving him right in any format. And religion, isn’t a “superstition”. Thanos was fed the messiah complex And believed himself to be the savior of the world, which he isn’t. The Russo brothers and even the creator of thanos himself acknowledges him as a psychopathic genocidal maniac, how can you say otherwise?
@Myke Hawke so you have your mind hardened and set that you’ll never believe but u want me to debate and share proof? Yea that’s gonna be a no from me 💀
Brolin's portrayal of Thanos was great imo. Marvel really has been ramping up in the villain story telling department and making them a lot easier to like/care about. It has got me excited about new MCU movies again. I was kinda falling off for a while and I think well written villains are what's bringing me back.
I feel like thanos would be a crier after instead of me being the weeping one tbh.. he is so emo soldier mode who clearly would also want to cuddle before letting me have the money so I could leave already .. seen it happen a thousands times .. a few drinks from being one of those johns who lift their legs up as your starting to go down .. if you know what I mean x 👉🏼👌
"Hardest decisions require the strongest wills" This one hit me. He wasn't like other bad guys he just wanted to bring balance in the universe in the way he sees fit. If he was a bad guy he could have easily ruled all over the universe with infinity stones.
ThanossGaming I mean, eventually yes. If we completely filled earth we would need to find a planet for all the people being born to live on. Let’s say we go to the moon, then the moon gets overpopulate. So we go to mars, mars gets overpopulated and we go to another planet, the cycle continues and eventually we fill up the galaxy. There’s no where else people can go. This means that we have to keep the death rate higher than the birth rate. We can do this by getting trained people to kill other people like in the book Scythe or by wiping out half every planet like thanos suggested.
Daiveon Mallery and that line in the movie where he says, I’m inevitable is true, metaphorically. Thanos himself is not inevitable as seen in endgame but what he represents is inevitable. Eventually we will have a situation where his plan or some variant of it is the only way to escape overpopulation.
ThanossGaming Nobody said it’s a good solution. It is a solution. Having watched Endgame, a little exchange between Cap and Black Widow tells that whales have started to come back into San Francisco Bay. Pollution had lowered significantly and so Animals could return back to areas that they were forced from His sick plan is actually effective, which in my opinion. Just make Thanos that much more compelling
No he isn't. Populations don't just keep growing, they eventually stall out. Barring a brief jump in the 80s, human population growth has been on the decline since 1962. IIRC, the carrying capacity for humans on Earth has been estimated to be around 11-12 billion, less than double what we currently have.
I at times feel some people have the same sort of thought process and in turn say or do things that kind of make them worse. For example, I have watched anime where one of the characters bullies another character, and in the comments you will have people who legitimately feel that person deserves to be harmed or even outright killed. They feel it's justified because the person/character is terrible anyway. They may even justify it by claiming that it would prevent them from bulling other people. The idea of harming someone or killing them because that person caused harm in some way through bullying, seems absurd in my mind. The bully may see it as fun and maybe not as harmful as it really is. They are often young as well and maybe unaware of the damage they could be causing. Yes, it's bad but there is an excuse there that is at least understandable. While someone who feels they deserve to be harmed or killed ... their thoughts are literally to seek harm. The intent is to harm. They are aware of the extent of damage because they are specifically flat out putting it out there of what they want to happen. This makes them worse than the bullies. It doesn't matter if you were once bullied and understand how it feels. Wanting to get revenge is tempting, and the thought can be satisfying because it gives you the feeling that they got what they deserved or that ultimately you are doing the world a favor by taking on the responsibility to purge them. This is very much like the concept where the oppressed can become worse than the oppressors once they reverse it around because then they feel justified in doing so out of revenge. Not only do they feel they have the right ... but also that it's deserved. And to them, they are not doing anything wrong. It's actually pretty scary how easily people can fall into this, and it's even more scary because typically people who do fall into this, don't even see it. You could even point it out, and still it typically doesn't help. In fact, if you tried to point it out they are more likely to group you in with the "enemy" even if you don't agree with them either. So just by being logical you could be thrown to the wolves. And in this sense, it's scary because it means a lot of people who are logical and see the issue may not speak up for fear things may end up bad for them. We have a similar issue going on today in terms of the PC movement. It's gone too far, and many of them are now worse than the people they claim to go after.
@@eltiolavara9 It's very NSFW and well, I suggest you don't look me up any further than this picture cause most of my art is fetish related. Probably not the kind you would be into either XD. i.pximg.net/img-master/img/2018/12/25/02/08/49/72281833_p0_master1200.jpg
You have a brilliant mind, Max. I'm really glad there are people like you out there - pointing out the patterns in things I would have completely missed
Love your analysis; spot on! The comparison to Kurtz is irrefutable, you sir are a shining example of theory, criticism and analysis of the utmost level! I'd love to discuss other films with you!
In the comics, Thanos had a completely different motivation. He was in love with death ( yes, death ) and wanted to win her over somehow and she said in order to do so, he would have to commit mass genocide.
I gotta say, that was a really intresting look on Thanos. I've also watched some of your other videos and I have been enjoying them a lot, especially the Heart Of Darkness, Apocalypse Now, and Spec Ops: The Line videos. (I never knew that Heart Of Darkness inspired both Apocalyse Now and Spec Ops: The Line. I even recently bought Spec Ops: The Line because of the video you made about that game, I enjoyed it that much.) Though having said all that, I was wondering if you could do an analysis video about Vaas Montenegro from Far Cry 3. He's such a crazy but also interesting video game villain, I would really like to hear your thoughts on that character.
He's terrifying because he is exactly what he said he is...inevitable. He is a force that cannot be stopped, and the way he effortlessly thwarts the greatest heroes in the universe is a huge blow to any hope you might have had.
I hadnt considered the possibility of a strict revenge motive, it would explain why he had such a terrible plan for his stated goal though (that cant even achieve its supposed goal upon succeeding)
It’s the baldness I’m telling you. Thanos was just jealous that he couldn’t grow any hair so he did the obvious thing. Buy a wi........ take out half the universe, duh
I think a lot of people sleep on & overlook Kaecilius as a villain they don't seem to understand how complex he is despite his words in the Movie he's not out to rule Earth he's trying to save the World in his own twisted misunderstood way.
I'm not a Marvel fan and I just realized the alchemy of Thanos randomly today - the testaments he goes through to collect the stones feel that it must be an analogy to collecting the catalysts to alchemic keys that unlock the manipulation of reality. Like he must go through a Dark Enlightenment to be able to use the the stones - they are representations of mental leveling (I could be way off since I haven't seen the series really, but that angle would deff peak my interest in watching it with such a lens)
It seems like with some of these its a matter of them being a character for world building rather than an obstacle for the hero, for example the vulture being an example of the people influenced and involved in dealing with the side effects of the other movies
I am very curious how and where you would put Light Yagami of Death Note, considering your categorization of Thanos as vaguely below the biblical Devil. Light too went to war against the fabric of the universe itself, determined to eradicate the very concept of evil from reality.
We are subconsciously attracted to people who know what they want and have the ability to commit to achieve that end. These are leadership qualities we are biologically conditioned to look out for, regardless of the ends in question. Intellectual and physical competence or even excellence are also sought after
The essence of evil, is not that it finds justification for the most horrible of actions, but that it seduces you, in all your sanity and morality, to justify your far more gruesome response to it.
Thanos (in the MCU) echos the warnings that various powerful people have been telling the world for 100 years. By putting main stream ideas into the words of a radical, the writers have you empathize with him out of the gate, then pluck at your own guilt for agreeing with the man who kills off good people you've grown to love over the past 10 years.
He is the only antagonist that reveals his plan before he achieved it, and he still prevailed, no matter how hard the protagonists tried to stop him. That's scary
As great a villain Thanos is, it is a great disappointment that he probably is going to be the best that Marvel ever created. From now on I'm afraid, it is only a road downhill... Great villains and story replaced by identity politics and personal agendas. I sincerely hope though that I'm wrong.
Don’t worry. There are plenty of great story motivations to be told. Just off the top of my head (and ripped from current events)... what if one villain came to be because his family were refugees due to a war. Tried to go to a different country. Refused entrance. Held in a camp. Suffered greatly. Sent back. Some or all of the family is beaten or killed. Vows revenge against all nations who closed their borders to those in need. Worth seeing, yes?
In the mcu films, perhaps... but in actual Marvel Comics there's far better villains. Especially the ones Fantastic Four and X-Men have faced against. Ultron is more interesting too, along with many others. My personal opinion however.
Marvel needs villains that are understandable in their MO's. Thats what separates marvel from DC. Greyness...i prefer DC comics over Marvel. Its just my preference, but....that what the attraction to Marvel, and the villains need that in the mcu, for them to be best represented in film... Im digging this Thanos comparison to Kurtz...awesome!!!
Interesting how the Devil in Faust’s story has a more complete idea of what should happen with the already existing life in the world, while Thanos in Infinity War wants to be more partial in his genocide and only kills half of the populations. In Endgame, he completely embraces the Devil’s ideology, and wants to scrap the entirety of the already existing world to make way for a new one, built in his ideals.
Interesting ideas, and I really like your analysis of Apocalypse Now, but in my opinion you missed one of the most unsettling and disturbing points about Thanos; his similarities with a heroic figure. You talk about evil being fuelled by rejecting and trying to change a reality that hurt you, which is a good point, but I think there's more to say about how close that urge is to the "build a better world" motivation that is often the foundation of the most admirable and selfless heroes. The film builds on this by essentially making Thanos the main character, having him go through a similar journey to an archetypal hero (dedicating his life to the pursuit of an ideal, losing a loved one in the course of adhering to his principles, ultimately achieving his goal at great personal cost and then retiring peacefully), and using imagery, tropes and sequences that are also more commonly associated with heroes (being dogpiled while emotionally tormented on Titan before Quill loses his self-control and lets him escape, powering through a gauntlet of enemies through sheer force of will in a last big push to reach his goal despite being pretty much spent by this point, and being killed unnecessarily slowly and cruelly so he manages to win at the last moment). Consequently, comparing him to Satan doesn't quite work for me. The line from Faust suggests a disgust with Creation that has turned into a gleeful sadism and delight in corruption, and doesn't seem to fit Thanos' near-meditative commitment and lack of personal malevolence. He is affectionate to Gamorra, respectful of Stark, honourable with Strange, and sympathetic to Wanda in a way that doesn't really fit with most ideas of a Satanic figure. Even the Paradise Lost version, arguably the most sympathetic interpretation that doesn't completely rewrite him into a genuine hero, shows Satan being petty and vindictive in a way Thanos isn't, and aware of his own hypocrisy and moral failings in a way that is the exact opposite of Thanos' terrifying single-mindedness and conviction. I think a better religious comparison would be with a non-malicious force of destruction. I don't know enough about other religions and mythologies to say with any certainty, but my (very VERY basic) understanding of a Shiva-like deity, or the actual Ragnarok event from mythology, where destruction enables renewal and isn't actually evil, just implacable and inevitable, might better fit Thanos. Sorry if this comes across as trashing your argument. That's not what I intended, I think it's an interesting take and deserving of a considered response.
Such a great villain that I was 100% rooting for him in Infinity War, got sad when Thor killed him and felt absolutely no happiness when the Avengers won in Endgame.
Knarf Nil Knarf Nil I’m not a comics/hero fanatic, but there’s, objectively, nothing cowardly about the Avengers. Plus, we don’t trade lives, that’s not how it works, you don’t just decide to wipe half the universe to fix it. Plus in Endgame he said he’d wipe out everything so that it could start anew. Not that you said you agreed with his method, just saying.
So well done. And explains so much of Thanos complexities that Josh Brolin portrayed and projected. The Apocalypse now connection is both mind blowing and brilliant. Adding a layer of dimension that made him much more than mad titan. Thank you for this.
The only ones more terrifying are Ghost Rider and Doctor Victor Von Doom. Doctor Doom especially since he’s so intelligent, calculating, and capable that even Thanos himself keeps an eye on him and considers him to be the biggest threat to his plans and one of the few smart enough to beat him. Doctor Doom is also a lot like Thanos except his priority is humanity and not all life like the MCU version of Thanos.
Also Latveria is a prosperous and succesful nation that has the lowest crime rate and the highest average intelligent scores in the world and if that isnt a sign that Dr doom is just a misunderstood hero than idk what a hero really is
JumPInfectioN absolutely agree with you man. He started off with nothing and returned to his home country and basically turned it from a third world country plagued by corruption to one of the most advanced nations on the planet rivaling the likes of the USA and Wakanda. And he did it basically on his own with his intellect and technology he built, and he also escaped hell with his sheer willpower alone, like I’m pretty sure not many heroes can do that.
To me what makes him terrifying is that he understands the secret better than anyone: You can do literally anything. Look at every challenge as nothing more than a challenge, and suddenly there's no reason you can't somehow get your hands on every single infinity stone from every corner of the universe, as long as you play your cards right and make the right connections in your mind about what you already know about the universe. And being alive for thousands of years, having already explored so much, it just gets easier. At this point, Thanos is a person that just "gets it". He finds out he has to do something, no matter how redicilous it may seem (i.e time travel) and he just accepts that it's possible and that the pieces are there. He just has to go pick them up. Using deductive reasoning like a muscle he never neglects to keep toned, he immediately figures out what's going on with Nebula, reverse engineers the pin particles, and time travels exactly to where every single infinity stone is gathered at once. Thanos fucking gets it. He knows how "it" works on a level that couldn't even be explained verbally. You could tell him that you could destroy a multiverse with an iTunes gift card, and if he believed you, he would figure out how to do it in five minutes or less. You could become his primary target and it wouldn't matter how low the probability of him killing you is because of whatever winds conditions or distances there are. He will move to that .00001% chance by any means necessary, because he knows what it means to move there. The scary thing about Thanos is that you recognize him. On some level you realize that you've met a person or two that also "gets it".
I been looking around but still cant understand whats the last sentence meaning. "That is my proper element" Can you explain what is the demon trying to say for me please?
Rocky Jackson He’s basically just saying “That’s what I truly believe”.
4 місяці тому
A little thing that peeved me, both antagonists in Civil War, being either Tony or Zemo, are great. Zemo is excellently characterized, has depth, is relatable and intimidating, even though he doesn´t have a lot of scenes. Comparing him to Ronan was a slap in the face when I heard it, Ronan is incredibly thin as a villain, Zemo is excellent as a character and the role he fulfils. And if we´re talking Tony as an antagonist, he´s the best he´s ever been in Civil War. I love his characterisation and RDJs acting.
Reminds me of the exchange in Tombstone where Doc Holiday says Johnny Ringo is looking for revenge, Wyatt Earp asks 'revenge for what?', and Holiday replies "For being born"
I like the fact that you mentioned corruption, because it is one the issues implied in Thanos's arguments. He doesn't just want to reduce population, he wants to disassemble political structures "... but at random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike". That's why I've always found so stupid when people said "But why don't he just double the resources with the stones?". Doubling the resources wouldn't stop corruption and injustice. He wanted to take down all civilizations to their foundations. He was an anarchist.
I think characters like Thanos show what happens to those of us who hold people to a higher standard of virtue and principle that they themselves abide by. Such people only to end up severely disappointed and eventually become disgusted with those who don't adhere to the same virtues and principles that they practice. This kind of disgust can take a person down a dark path of inhumanity. They believe themselves to be a paragon of morality while others are unworthy of being recognized as human beings. Characters like Thanos are born once they have experienced or witnessed a catalytic event that traumatized the very fiber of their being.
Interesting fact, Infinity War was shot with Thanos as the main protagonist, that's why it feels so different. There were too many heroes to have any one be the centre, so it made sense for the movie to shoot it from Thanos's point of view.
Thanos wasn't lifting himself up as a god when he collected the infinity stones, regardless of how his servants worshipped him. I don't think Thanos even ever saw his actions as good. He wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to make it a random, "fair" process otherwise. Some have looked at his fears of overpopulation and declared his population culling wrong and unneeded, because wealth is not a zero sum game, so life could turn out better even with the large population. These people misunderstand the scope of Thanos's argument. The amount of wealth in the universe is not really a zero sum game. The amount of matter in the universe is. The amount of usable energy is. Thanos's world was clearly more advanced than Earth. Now suppose a technological ceiling was hit. Your tech isn't getting any faster, your infrastructure can become no more efficient. If Titan was in a massive period of developmemt and growth, both in terms of population and tech, what happens when the laws of physics bring science to a halt? Populations don't adjust instantly. Globally, they crashed. There was nothing new left to tap into, no great innovation that could let them live as they had been. Drastic, even gruesome, measures had to be taken. Only Thanos was willing to make that sacrifice. So when it all died before it needed to, Thanos was left to watch the universe, full of people who couldn't see the big picture. Theoretically, civilisations could survive for mind boggling amounts of time by powering themselves with black holes, once stars are gone. Unless carelessness destroys it all before its time. So in order to ensure that life survives as long as possible into the eventual famine, none can afford to lazily feast in times of plenty. Thanos's great flaw was in his method. He had done it the hard way for so long, lining people up to be shot, that once the stones were finally in his grasp, he had lost the ability to see his opportunity to rewrite the rules of the game and end suffering without sacrifice. A big picture view for a mortal being, but too small a picture to be a decent god.
0:50 You can blame Hugo Weaving for not wanting to return as Red Skull for The Avengers and Universal for not giving the full Hulk rights back to Marvel/Disney, preventing us from getting The Leader as a recurring villain. Sometimes I really wish there was an Avengers movie set between the events of Infinity War and Endgame featuring Red Skull and The Leader as the main villains, along with Mitchell Carson/Abomination & Gargoyle as their henchmen.
Maybe in his beginning, he wasn't the vengeful and hateful character that we saw in Infinity War. He tried to warn his kind of their extinction. But nobody listened. Maybe as he was just young at the time. When he grew up he knew what other planets will suffer so he took it upon himself to 'help', even if the way he helped is genocide.
Thanos killed his daughter for personal gain.He could have sacrificed his own vision which he loved most and surely not her daughter. Hope you still don't understand.
For me the most terrifying thing about Thanos was that, half of the people I watched the movie with agredd with him AND his actions! Great that I found this channel today!
The moment I heard that opening line from Thanos in the cinema, I instantly knew I'd love this guy. There is a scary part in all humans, I think, that admires such perfect bad guys as much as they are scared of them.
He is calculating, highly intelligent, strong in will and physical strength, a strategic mastermind, has had a family he loved, is unwavering in his beliefs, adheres to a code of honor, is not sadistic,
not impulsive and believes in a concept that cannot be that easily dismissed as false or "evil". He may very well be a nietzschean Übermensch.
And, like so many infamous potentates in human history, the mountains of bodies he leaves in his wake, no matter how big, do not inhibit his vision of utopia. After all, the ends justify the means.
Do they?
Marx on the Paris commune.
this is way better explanation than the video.
Best Vid to Date Max, your Mind is amazing and I miss you
Tesla Nikolai U liked ?
Nietzschen philosophy (be it a correct or incorrect interpretation), creating the greatest heroes and villains in media.
I don’t see that Thanos is motivated by revenge. I see that he sees what ruined Titan, and has chosen to stop it every where else. He is acting as a savior. Possible grandiose narcissist.
True he went about it a bit to rashly but he didn't want other planets to end up like his
It might kill you inside a little bit to know that in the comics his entire motivation for gathering the Infinity Gems and wiping out half the souls in the universe was to make the physical embodiment of death - Mistress Death/Lady Death, whatever you want to call the Eternal - fall in love with him. It's a huge unrequited love story.
And it's been that way since the 1980s. The one-shot "Deadpool vs. Thanos" has them fighting over her because she's in love with Wade - even makes a "that's what she said" joke about 'bones' or something right in front of Thanos, making out with Wade. It's fucking hysterical but also a good story overall - Wilson does things to both provoke rage and inspire admiration in Thanos. You should pick it up, it's a cool little isolated story of its own that doesn't require much in the way of previous knowledge of either character.
Matthew Kelly it might kill you inside a little bit to know that the comics basically have no relevancy to the MCU. Spider-Man and Iron Man in the MCU are not as comic accurate as everyone seems to believe they are and as a matter of fact, Thanos in infinity war is a MUCH better written villain than he is in the comics
@@southpark645 Oh, I know that. That's why I said the person who wrote the original comment would be surprised at how shallow his motivations were back when the Infinity saga first took place - he's been more fleshed-out as a character in the nearly 30 years since then.
There is nothing necessary about Thanos. He commit genocide because he's psychotic. He could have made infinite resources with the glove but choose to kill instead.
Thanos (at least in infinity war) feels a lot like an ancient horror. With his trashing of the avengers it becomes apparent that he is an inevitable force, he is not a threat, Thanos is a promise- that promise is that death comes, and it is out of our control no matter how hard we try, death comes.
so real life basically... I think it's called aging lol
Clerk he is inevitable, yes.
_Destiny arrives all the same_
And now its here
The last thing he said was that he was inevitable.
You don't get it. Thanos does not feel resentful, he feels responsible.
True.
Not TRUE! Do you know about the design of this character...not in the MCU...but his original creation. He is in love with death...THAT IS his character.. and that origin was implemented into the MCU version of Thanos. His obsession is with death and to please her, whatever the cost.
Bruh that cartoony version made to be symbolically beautiful was obviously not at all implied as his motives ..
fetish for death main driver in movies which is being discussed ??
Nope 👎
Geek 🤓 saying “ but in the texts it was this way so that’s the only way to view this regardless of this films reality that clearly made many changes in stories it was inspired by “
Yup 👍🏻
Congrats you did it .. your officially that dude
@@skepticalthesensible thanks for the recognition.
No no noooo .. thank you for being you , you sweet thang you
The devil and his temptation is represented by red skull and the soul stone.
He didn't "make"Thanos kill Gomorrah he only told him what the price of his desires where.
Wow. True.
Gamora
Did you actually think gamora was spelled "gomorrah"?
Were
@@rubenherrera555 I think he did that purposefully in a metaphorical way
Endgame Spoilers
9:26 Unlike Thanos who seeks to keep some form of reality in tact
2014 Thanos: Hold my beer
He said he'd make a new universe
@@rooban989 With the blood of the old
@@averypetterson6811 Without totally eliminating life forever
Yeah he was planning on making what he saw as a better universe without attife or hunger
They're the same Thanos though. His ego paints him as some kind of savior and he acts the part when things are in his favor. The moment his vision is questioned, he lashes out violently. Notice how he frequently used the word "grateful?" At it's core, Thanos' mission wasn't about saving people, it was proving himself right. The scary part is he can't tell the difference.
Zemo was a fantastic villain and is set to return in Falcon & Winter Soldier.
Agree and can't wait
@@Karas540 Same here, bud. Marvel confirmed he'll be donning his comicbook accurate mask, to boot. Marvel Studios: the dream fulfillment corporation. Stay tuned, true believer!
My life will be complete
@@peanutgallery4 Mine too, me bucko.
I'm happy about that because he was a good villain...but is he seriously still on his anti-avenger crusade after the Snap/the Avengers saved the dang universe???
Thanos is terrifying because he is everything you wouldnt want to fight.
He's an unrelenting force that never waivers. So much so that you could compare him to death itself
Meh... I think I could take em. 😏
Pffft please, dudes just a roided out plum in the movies, not an unstoppable force like every other iteration.
@Thomas Grey
Yeah his reason in the movie is dumb and would fail , half the population gone but it would just go and rise back up. Thanos in the comics , litterly causes mass genocide. All because he wants his Waifu to noice him.
Or worse: everything you wouldn't want to become
Yes, Thanos is the embodiment of death, even his name means "death".
Cause he does exactly what he says he’s going to do.....truly frightening
I think the fact that he actually doesn’t seem to enjoy what he does in Infinity War also makes it worse. Because he doesn’t do it for self satisfaction, he does it because it’s a higher calling only he can accomplish, and he’s been forced into a cause, by seeing the future of what happensif he doesn’t do what he must.
Alexander Angelus Which is why I hate his portrayal in Endgame.
The entire point of his character in Infinity War was that he didn’t want to kill half the universe, he felt that he had to. By the end of Endgame, however, he just becomes a mustache twirling “I must destroy the world and reshape it as I see fit” villain. He seeks to destroy the universe for the satisfaction of destroying everyone that opposes him, which instantly made him a much less sympathetic character to me.
@@mr.cup6yearsago211 There is clear precedent though, and it's very blatantly established. Because, yeah, he won in Infinity War, but so what? He saw the future, he saw he'd get decapitated, and the Avengers would seek to undo what he accomplished, and they'd actually have a chance to do it. Thanos made a whole lot of sense in Endgame as a character. We may have liked his more nuanced approach in Infinity War, sure, but why would he go about doing the same thing when he saw that it didn't work? He saw he gets executed, his plan is on the way to be undone, so of course he'd change trajectories, since there would be people who would attempt to thwart his original plan of half measures. Yeah, he becomes a little bit more one note, but if it was you, and you were trying to be more merciful in your own twisted way, and then saw that everything goes to shit on your part, why try to recreate what results in your failure?
Alexander Angelus Personally what I’d try to do is defeat the Avengers, and then go along with my plan anyway, since they were the only ones that were really combatting him.
The issue for me is that he seems to want to destroy the Avengers and THEN destroy the universe, which just makes no sense.
I dunno, I just really didn’t like how blatantly evil he was in Endgame, even if he had a passable reason to justify his incredible ruthlessness.
@@mr.cup6yearsago211 In the MCU it's established that there are multiple worlds out there, with superpowered beings. The Avengers were a collective that showed up, but Thanos was made aware that there could be similar people to them. They were just the ones to catch on, and there was a major chance there were others like them out there who could undo what he did anyway.
And of course he'd first go for the Avengers on his second try. They had the Infinity Stones all collected in a gauntlet, which some could be able to use for all he knew, it was a matter of obtaining it before they used it. They were standing between him and it, why would he not try to take them out first? What was the alternative on that?
Thanos is so terrifying because he is so blunt. He revealed his plan to everyone and according to Nebula, he never lies. Thanos gets what he wants, and him being so blunt is portraying him as powerful and scary.
Man basically told them he was gonna take the stones and kick their asses and did exactly that lol
The best villains are the ones that are trying to do the right things the wrong way
Hmmmmmmmm. How is it the "right thing?" Are you trying to assert genocide can be right? Yikes! We should keep an eye on you no?
Joe Shaloom I said the right thing the wrong way. Thanos wanted to half the population but he did it the wrong way
Could you please explain a "right" way to commit mass genocide?
Joe Shaloom what he wants to do is the right thing by halving the population to help save planets from over population but he's doing it the wrong way by doing genoicde
Joe Shaloom Thanos had rational motivations. He saw the unsustainability of the universe with its finite resources and ever growing population. What beetle is saying is that while Thanos had "good" intentions by trying to save the universe from impending disaster, as we saw happen on Titan, his execution by means of mass genocide is obviously wrong. I don't think Beetle wants to kill half the worlds population chill out. Although I have to say it was random. Was he actually evil or wrong? Drastic measures and that.
In short God made a flawed creation but I can fix it.
Now there's a villain quote.
@@Lugbzurg yup
Who told you that? Satan?
Not about wanting to fix things, but rather getting overloaded with unilateral self-proclaimed views to conveniently rule out certain principles by, again, feeling in the utmost absolute to supposedly decide. As some wise philosopher once said: "Arrogance turn angels into demons, and uncertainties allow men to become human".
Twisting more a bit, When wanting to fix things goes overload, it boils to that quote: "Power corrupts, and absolute power, corrupts absolutely". Reality may sound inconsistent, but it's always flipping tables in reverse...
@Rene Does it say that in the bible or something?
Thanos of the MCU is frightening because he's *relateable* and we all can understand his motivations pretty clearly. In the comics, sometimes not so much.
because all the best quotes are from him.
I am inevitable
all that for a drop of blood
i hope they remember you
etc.
The hardest choices require the strongest will
@@colleenross8752 Where did that bring you? Back to me.
Scariest quote.
"Now. I know what I must do. I will... shred this universe down to it's last atom."
And that ...is destiny fulfilled.
Destiny arrives all the same
he wasn't Genocidal, he wasn't focusing on specific species, just half of all life in the universe, totally randomly selected
He admittedly is genocidal, he says his genocide is random
But it isnt genocide.
He said half would be gone. Im assuming individual planet basis.
That's still genocide
@@imapotato2349 Nope. Genocide as defined by the U.N is "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such."
His intent was to save these groups. All be it he's wrong about this actually saving people, but that's not the point.
Feeling like a hero yet, Thanos?
Yes...
Oh god....flash backs.
@@omararias885 it would be cathartic if Thanos goes through what Walker went through in Endgame.
@@feralchangeling97 *Thanos* : 'looks at universal mountain of corpse'
You did this.
*Death* : *No, you did. Your powerflex cost the lives of trillions of innocent people. Someone has to pay for your crimes, Thanos. Who's it going to be?*
___
*Thanos* : What happened here was out of my control.
*Death* : *Was it? None of this would've happened if you'd just stopped. But oooon you marched. And for what?*
*Thanos* : I... I tried to save them.
*Death* : *You're no savior. Your talents lie elsewhere.*
*Thanos* : This isn't my fault...
*Death* : *It takes a strong man to deny what's in front of him. And if the truth is undeniable, you create your own. The truth, Thanos, is that you're here because you wanted to feel like something you're not: A hero. I'm here because you can't accept what you've done. It broke you. You needed someone to blame, so you cast it on me : a natural cycle.*
___
*Death* : *I know the truth is hard to hear, Thanos, but it's time. You're all that's left, and we can't live this lie forever. (lifts her arms in a snapping pose at Thanos) I'm going to count to five, then I'm snapping those fingers.*
*Thanos* : You're not real, this is all in my head.
*Death* : *Are you sure? Maybe it's in mine... ONE.*
*Thanos* : No... Everything... all this... it was YOUR fault!
*Death* : *If that's what you believe, then end me! TWO.*
*Thanos* : I... I never meant to hurt anybody.
*Death* : *No one ever does, Thanos. THREE.*
*Death* : *Is this really what you want, Thanos?*
*Death* : *So be it... FIVE.*
*SNAP*
@@chaospacemarine8330 I can already imagine Death being his imagination in Endgame, there needs to be a comic about this sorta thing. Maybe a game where we play as Thanos in an alternate world where he suffers this after the Snap. I can imagine the suicide option being using the Time Stone and going back to when Thanos Snapped and instead, he Snaps himself away, saying he wasn't strong enough with visible tears, the injured and battered heroes looking on in bewilderment.
@@feralchangeling97 Well, I believe Thanos erasing himself at all times out of guilt would be more fitting than trying to ward off his own being.
*THE ONLY VILLAIN HERE, IS YOU, THANOS. THERE'S ONLY YOU.*
I can answer easily without watching the video.
Because he had a terrifyingly logical point.
Nothing about what he did was logical.
@@iamjulian2810 Then answer me this question: Why do you value life?
Vlad 117 because I love God and want to glorify him, and I want people to have a relationship with him as well. That’s the only true value I get from this life.
@Myke Hawke lmao your point is illogical. And thanos’s ideology had nothing to do with religion so no, I’m not proving him right in any format. And religion, isn’t a “superstition”. Thanos was fed the messiah complex And believed himself to be the savior of the world, which he isn’t. The Russo brothers and even the creator of thanos himself acknowledges him as a psychopathic genocidal maniac, how can you say otherwise?
@Myke Hawke so you have your mind hardened and set that you’ll never believe but u want me to debate and share proof? Yea that’s gonna be a no from me 💀
Brolin's portrayal of Thanos was great imo. Marvel really has been ramping up in the villain story telling department and making them a lot easier to like/care about. It has got me excited about new MCU movies again. I was kinda falling off for a while and I think well written villains are what's bringing me back.
Because you just know that he has a magnum dong that he can just impale you with
I feel like thanos would be a crier after instead of me being the weeping one tbh.. he is so emo soldier mode who clearly would also want to cuddle before letting me have the money so I could leave already .. seen it happen a thousands times ..
a few drinks from being one of those johns who lift their legs up as your starting to go down .. if you know what I mean x 👉🏼👌
@@skepticalthesensible cursed comment
@CebuliX consciousness is clearly cursed to feel dead inside their entire life someone they need assistance over here
@@skepticalthesensible Nigga what the fuck
"Hardest decisions require the strongest wills"
This one hit me.
He wasn't like other bad guys he just wanted to bring balance in the universe in the way he sees fit.
If he was a bad guy he could have easily ruled all over the universe with infinity stones.
Still not as scary as accidentally opening your hentai folder in computer class
This is true.
This deserves more likes
This.
You'd probably be more Traumatized than Thor after IW.
@@maxderrat Speaking from experience? :D
Do a video about Griffith in Berserk
This!
I agree
yes please! i would love that.
Best villain of all time
@@briankeys5941 wait what?
The Darth Vader of this generation.
Indeed.
💯
*More like the Chucky XD
@@CesarGarcia-nd5xz Chucky is not on the level on Vader or Thanos, little dude would get wrecked within seconds by those two
Because he was right. Of any villain showed in the mcu. His plan was wholly terrifying because it was true and was a fate we refused to accept.
So wiping out half the population is a goos solution!?
ThanossGaming I mean, eventually yes. If we completely filled earth we would need to find a planet for all the people being born to live on. Let’s say we go to the moon, then the moon gets overpopulate. So we go to mars, mars gets overpopulated and we go to another planet, the cycle continues and eventually we fill up the galaxy. There’s no where else people can go. This means that we have to keep the death rate higher than the birth rate. We can do this by getting trained people to kill other people like in the book Scythe or by wiping out half every planet like thanos suggested.
Daiveon Mallery and that line in the movie where he says, I’m inevitable is true, metaphorically. Thanos himself is not inevitable as seen in endgame but what he represents is inevitable. Eventually we will have a situation where his plan or some variant of it is the only way to escape overpopulation.
ThanossGaming Nobody said it’s a good solution. It is a solution.
Having watched Endgame, a little exchange between Cap and Black Widow tells that whales have started to come back into San Francisco Bay. Pollution had lowered significantly and so Animals could return back to areas that they were forced from
His sick plan is actually effective, which in my opinion. Just make Thanos that much more compelling
No he isn't. Populations don't just keep growing, they eventually stall out. Barring a brief jump in the 80s, human population growth has been on the decline since 1962. IIRC, the carrying capacity for humans on Earth has been estimated to be around 11-12 billion, less than double what we currently have.
I at times feel some people have the same sort of thought process and in turn say or do things that kind of make them worse.
For example, I have watched anime where one of the characters bullies another character, and in the comments you will have people who legitimately feel that person deserves to be harmed or even outright killed. They feel it's justified because the person/character is terrible anyway. They may even justify it by claiming that it would prevent them from bulling other people.
The idea of harming someone or killing them because that person caused harm in some way through bullying, seems absurd in my mind. The bully may see it as fun and maybe not as harmful as it really is. They are often young as well and maybe unaware of the damage they could be causing. Yes, it's bad but there is an excuse there that is at least understandable. While someone who feels they deserve to be harmed or killed ... their thoughts are literally to seek harm. The intent is to harm. They are aware of the extent of damage because they are specifically flat out putting it out there of what they want to happen. This makes them worse than the bullies. It doesn't matter if you were once bullied and understand how it feels.
Wanting to get revenge is tempting, and the thought can be satisfying because it gives you the feeling that they got what they deserved or that ultimately you are doing the world a favor by taking on the responsibility to purge them.
This is very much like the concept where the oppressed can become worse than the oppressors once they reverse it around because then they feel justified in doing so out of revenge. Not only do they feel they have the right ... but also that it's deserved. And to them, they are not doing anything wrong. It's actually pretty scary how easily people can fall into this, and it's even more scary because typically people who do fall into this, don't even see it. You could even point it out, and still it typically doesn't help. In fact, if you tried to point it out they are more likely to group you in with the "enemy" even if you don't agree with them either.
So just by being logical you could be thrown to the wolves. And in this sense, it's scary because it means a lot of people who are logical and see the issue may not speak up for fear things may end up bad for them.
We have a similar issue going on today in terms of the PC movement. It's gone too far, and many of them are now worse than the people they claim to go after.
damn, all this coming from someone with a ahegao pic
no but really i completely agree
@@eltiolavara9
XD To be fair, it's something I drew, though maybe that doesn't make it better lol.
@@SilvyReacts prove it by sending the full pic :eyes:
@@eltiolavara9
It's very NSFW and well, I suggest you don't look me up any further than this picture cause most of my art is fetish related. Probably not the kind you would be into either XD.
i.pximg.net/img-master/img/2018/12/25/02/08/49/72281833_p0_master1200.jpg
@@SilvyReacts :^)
For one example, for the same reason that other villains can be terrifying- Because Thanos has a POINT.
That doesn’t matter a settlement needs your help here I’ll mark it on your map
Underrated comment
Thank you Garvey
Thanos is like a grim reaper who only sees death as the ultimate solution that would balance the universe.
He’s got incredible power, intelligence, cunningness, patience, and is willing to do whatever it takes to win
You have a brilliant mind, Max. I'm really glad there are people like you out there - pointing out the patterns in things I would have completely missed
When you realize if you got superpowers you’d end up being the villain 😭
In all honesty, governments aren't exactly 'good', so they'd attack first. Making you the bad guy. XD
Right 👀
Love your analysis; spot on! The comparison to Kurtz is irrefutable, you sir are a shining example of theory, criticism and analysis of the utmost level! I'd love to discuss other films with you!
Thanos scares me mostly because of his ability to snap with his left hand
Yeh in infinity war but in endgame it's his right hand .
Your channel is incredible Max. My God I've been watching your videos all day.
In the comics, Thanos had a completely different motivation. He was in love with death ( yes, death ) and wanted to win her over somehow and she said in order to do so, he would have to commit mass genocide.
im glad the movie went with something else.
@@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502 me too 😂
I'm not, they took a Perfectly Evil Villain and Romanticized them with the "Devil May Care" cliché. He did it all for the Pussy and we know it.
I gotta say, that was a really intresting look on Thanos. I've also watched some of your other videos and I have been enjoying them a lot, especially the Heart Of Darkness, Apocalypse Now, and Spec Ops: The Line videos. (I never knew that Heart Of Darkness inspired both Apocalyse Now and Spec Ops: The Line. I even recently bought Spec Ops: The Line because of the video you made about that game, I enjoyed it that much.)
Though having said all that, I was wondering if you could do an analysis video about Vaas Montenegro from Far Cry 3. He's such a crazy but also interesting video game villain, I would really like to hear your thoughts on that character.
He and the guy from Apocalypse Now remind me of Caesar from New Vegas.
He's terrifying because he is exactly what he said he is...inevitable. He is a force that cannot be stopped, and the way he effortlessly thwarts the greatest heroes in the universe is a huge blow to any hope you might have had.
I hadnt considered the possibility of a strict revenge motive, it would explain why he had such a terrible plan for his stated goal though (that cant even achieve its supposed goal upon succeeding)
'Let the whole universe howl in despair for I have returned'- Darkseid
Puspalata Nayak that’s arogant and stupid Thanos will never Gonna Say this kind of words
@@vladalex3856 that's what makes a villain terrifying.
It’s the baldness I’m telling you.
Thanos was just jealous that he couldn’t grow any hair so he did the obvious thing.
Buy a wi........ take out half the universe, duh
I think a lot of people sleep on & overlook Kaecilius as a villain they don't seem to understand how complex he is despite his words in the Movie he's not out to rule Earth he's trying to save the World in his own twisted misunderstood way.
Zemo is still the best villain, imho.
Edit: *my favorite.
I really appreciate your narration style. Not overly fast speaking or verbose wording.
Kurtz from Apocalypse Now even looks like Thanos, bald head and all!!!
you completely nailed it, Max. Great video essay.
Thanos just wanted to stones, he didn't actually want to fight anyone unless he had to in self-defense.
I'm not a Marvel fan and I just realized the alchemy of Thanos randomly today - the testaments he goes through to collect the stones feel that it must be an analogy to collecting the catalysts to alchemic keys that unlock the manipulation of reality. Like he must go through a Dark Enlightenment to be able to use the the stones - they are representations of mental leveling (I could be way off since I haven't seen the series really, but that angle would deff peak my interest in watching it with such a lens)
Winter Soldier was the beginning of the Era of Good Villians in Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Thanos: im terrifying and powerful
John Wick: HOLD MY PENCIL ....
It seems like with some of these its a matter of them being a character for world building rather than an obstacle for the hero, for example the vulture being an example of the people influenced and involved in dealing with the side effects of the other movies
He’s this generation’s Darth Vader.
Vader is still more iconic
I am very curious how and where you would put Light Yagami of Death Note, considering your categorization of Thanos as vaguely below the biblical Devil. Light too went to war against the fabric of the universe itself, determined to eradicate the very concept of evil from reality.
Oohhh that would be a great video
@@theartist8291 I hope he reads this comment
A wonderful dichotomy! I may have to address these ideas on my own channel!
We are subconsciously attracted to people who know what they want and have the ability to commit to achieve that end. These are leadership qualities we are biologically conditioned to look out for, regardless of the ends in question. Intellectual and physical competence or even excellence are also sought after
The essence of evil, is not that it finds justification for the most horrible of actions, but that it seduces you, in all your sanity and morality, to justify your far more gruesome response to it.
Thanos (in the MCU) echos the warnings that various powerful people have been telling the world for 100 years. By putting main stream ideas into the words of a radical, the writers have you empathize with him out of the gate, then pluck at your own guilt for agreeing with the man who kills off good people you've grown to love over the past 10 years.
Excellent analysis and video-making at it's best. Thank you.
He is the only antagonist that reveals his plan before he achieved it, and he still prevailed, no matter how hard the protagonists tried to stop him.
That's scary
how have i only just been recommended this. great video
As great a villain Thanos is, it is a great disappointment that he probably is going to be the best that Marvel ever created. From now on I'm afraid, it is only a road downhill... Great villains and story replaced by identity politics and personal agendas. I sincerely hope though that I'm wrong.
Don’t worry. There are plenty of great story motivations to be told. Just off the top of my head (and ripped from current events)... what if one villain came to be because his family were refugees due to a war. Tried to go to a different country. Refused entrance. Held in a camp. Suffered greatly. Sent back. Some or all of the family is beaten or killed. Vows revenge against all nations who closed their borders to those in need.
Worth seeing, yes?
In the mcu films, perhaps... but in actual Marvel Comics there's far better villains. Especially the ones Fantastic Four and X-Men have faced against. Ultron is more interesting too, along with many others. My personal opinion however.
I'm just seeing one video after another
Your work is simply fantastic!!!!
Marvel needs villains that are understandable in their MO's. Thats what separates marvel from DC. Greyness...i prefer DC comics over Marvel. Its just my preference, but....that what the attraction to Marvel, and the villains need that in the mcu, for them to be best represented in film...
Im digging this Thanos comparison to Kurtz...awesome!!!
I've always had a saying that it "Dc has better comics than Marvel, but Marvel has better movies"
Never thought I'd watch an analysis like this, but my philosophical side continually gets the better of me.
Brb gonna actually watch avengers
10 years and we saw Thanos, 40 years and we haven't even seen Darkseid
well, we reached godwin's law
LMFAO
Interesting how the Devil in Faust’s story has a more complete idea of what should happen with the already existing life in the world, while Thanos in Infinity War wants to be more partial in his genocide and only kills half of the populations. In Endgame, he completely embraces the Devil’s ideology, and wants to scrap the entirety of the already existing world to make way for a new one, built in his ideals.
He's
*big*
*scary*
And *PURPLE*
Interesting ideas, and I really like your analysis of Apocalypse Now, but in my opinion you missed one of the most unsettling and disturbing points about Thanos; his similarities with a heroic figure.
You talk about evil being fuelled by rejecting and trying to change a reality that hurt you, which is a good point, but I think there's more to say about how close that urge is to the "build a better world" motivation that is often the foundation of the most admirable and selfless heroes. The film builds on this by essentially making Thanos the main character, having him go through a similar journey to an archetypal hero (dedicating his life to the pursuit of an ideal, losing a loved one in the course of adhering to his principles, ultimately achieving his goal at great personal cost and then retiring peacefully), and using imagery, tropes and sequences that are also more commonly associated with heroes (being dogpiled while emotionally tormented on Titan before Quill loses his self-control and lets him escape, powering through a gauntlet of enemies through sheer force of will in a last big push to reach his goal despite being pretty much spent by this point, and being killed unnecessarily slowly and cruelly so he manages to win at the last moment).
Consequently, comparing him to Satan doesn't quite work for me. The line from Faust suggests a disgust with Creation that has turned into a gleeful sadism and delight in corruption, and doesn't seem to fit Thanos' near-meditative commitment and lack of personal malevolence. He is affectionate to Gamorra, respectful of Stark, honourable with Strange, and sympathetic to Wanda in a way that doesn't really fit with most ideas of a Satanic figure. Even the Paradise Lost version, arguably the most sympathetic interpretation that doesn't completely rewrite him into a genuine hero, shows Satan being petty and vindictive in a way Thanos isn't, and aware of his own hypocrisy and moral failings in a way that is the exact opposite of Thanos' terrifying single-mindedness and conviction.
I think a better religious comparison would be with a non-malicious force of destruction. I don't know enough about other religions and mythologies to say with any certainty, but my (very VERY basic) understanding of a Shiva-like deity, or the actual Ragnarok event from mythology, where destruction enables renewal and isn't actually evil, just implacable and inevitable, might better fit Thanos.
Sorry if this comes across as trashing your argument. That's not what I intended, I think it's an interesting take and deserving of a considered response.
Such a great villain that I was 100% rooting for him in Infinity War, got sad when Thor killed him and felt absolutely no happiness when the Avengers won in Endgame.
I can’t say I was rooting for him, but I wasn’t really rooting for the “heroes” either.
Knarf Nil Knarf Nil I’m not a comics/hero fanatic, but there’s, objectively, nothing cowardly about the Avengers. Plus, we don’t trade lives, that’s not how it works, you don’t just decide to wipe half the universe to fix it. Plus in Endgame he said he’d wipe out everything so that it could start anew. Not that you said you agreed with his method, just saying.
So well done. And explains so much of Thanos complexities that Josh Brolin portrayed and projected. The Apocalypse now connection is both mind blowing and brilliant. Adding a layer of dimension that made him much more than mad titan. Thank you for this.
It is neither, and you are just as hyperbolic as the author.
@@jnnx Right, whatever you say man. Hope you're okay.
man i can't wait to see darkseid make his movie screen debut.
If he ever does u mean
@@theartist8291 if you thought thanos was a bad dude, wait till we see darkseid hopefully.
@@TheMegatron673 Absolutely, Darkseid is THE embodiment of evil afterall
The only ones more terrifying are Ghost Rider and Doctor Victor Von Doom. Doctor Doom especially since he’s so intelligent, calculating, and capable that even Thanos himself keeps an eye on him and considers him to be the biggest threat to his plans and one of the few smart enough to beat him. Doctor Doom is also a lot like Thanos except his priority is humanity and not all life like the MCU version of Thanos.
Also Latveria is a prosperous and succesful nation that has the lowest crime rate and the highest average intelligent scores in the world and if that isnt a sign that Dr doom is just a misunderstood hero than idk what a hero really is
JumPInfectioN absolutely agree with you man. He started off with nothing and returned to his home country and basically turned it from a third world country plagued by corruption to one of the most advanced nations on the planet rivaling the likes of the USA and Wakanda. And he did it basically on his own with his intellect and technology he built, and he also escaped hell with his sheer willpower alone, like I’m pretty sure not many heroes can do that.
To me what makes him terrifying is that he understands the secret better than anyone:
You can do literally anything. Look at every challenge as nothing more than a challenge, and suddenly there's no reason you can't somehow get your hands on every single infinity stone from every corner of the universe, as long as you play your cards right and make the right connections in your mind about what you already know about the universe.
And being alive for thousands of years, having already explored so much, it just gets easier. At this point, Thanos is a person that just "gets it".
He finds out he has to do something, no matter how redicilous it may seem (i.e time travel) and he just accepts that it's possible and that the pieces are there. He just has to go pick them up. Using deductive reasoning like a muscle he never neglects to keep toned, he immediately figures out what's going on with Nebula, reverse engineers the pin particles, and time travels exactly to where every single infinity stone is gathered at once.
Thanos fucking gets it. He knows how "it" works on a level that couldn't even be explained verbally. You could tell him that you could destroy a multiverse with an iTunes gift card, and if he believed you, he would figure out how to do it in five minutes or less.
You could become his primary target and it wouldn't matter how low the probability of him killing you is because of whatever winds conditions or distances there are. He will move to that .00001% chance by any means necessary, because he knows what it means to move there. The scary thing about Thanos is that you recognize him.
On some level you realize that you've met a person or two that also "gets it".
DandyBubbles This is honestly hands down the best explanation I’ve ever read.
You did a excellent job explaining this thankyou for such a in depth overview
9:11 to 9:39 hit me so hard on a philosophical level that I'm kind of reeling. "It would be better if nothing had existed at all." Dude.
I been looking around but still cant understand whats the last sentence meaning.
"That is my proper element"
Can you explain what is the demon trying to say for me please?
Rocky Jackson He’s basically just saying “That’s what I truly believe”.
A little thing that peeved me, both antagonists in Civil War, being either Tony or Zemo, are great. Zemo is excellently characterized, has depth, is relatable and intimidating, even though he doesn´t have a lot of scenes. Comparing him to Ronan was a slap in the face when I heard it, Ronan is incredibly thin as a villain, Zemo is excellent as a character and the role he fulfils. And if we´re talking Tony as an antagonist, he´s the best he´s ever been in Civil War. I love his characterisation and RDJs acting.
You reached the conclusion of Thanos's character.
Reminds me of the exchange in Tombstone where Doc Holiday says Johnny Ringo is looking for revenge, Wyatt Earp asks 'revenge for what?', and Holiday replies "For being born"
I like the fact that you mentioned corruption, because it is one the issues implied in Thanos's arguments. He doesn't just want to reduce population, he wants to disassemble political structures "... but at random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike".
That's why I've always found so stupid when people said "But why don't he just double the resources with the stones?". Doubling the resources wouldn't stop corruption and injustice. He wanted to take down all civilizations to their foundations. He was an anarchist.
That's the wokest shit I've ever seen this month
@@arturo_renteria *what in the Kentucky fried fuck is your profile pic?*
I think characters like Thanos show what happens to those of us who hold people to a higher standard of virtue and principle that they themselves abide by. Such people only to end up severely disappointed and eventually become disgusted with those who don't adhere to the same virtues and principles that they practice. This kind of disgust can take a person down a dark path of inhumanity. They believe themselves to be a paragon of morality while others are unworthy of being recognized as human beings. Characters like Thanos are born once they have experienced or witnessed a catalytic event that traumatized the very fiber of their being.
Wow! That was deep.
10/10 blew my mind
Interesting fact, Infinity War was shot with Thanos as the main protagonist, that's why it feels so different. There were too many heroes to have any one be the centre, so it made sense for the movie to shoot it from Thanos's point of view.
I support 50% of Thanos' work.
I see what you did there
Ahhh I see, balanced, as all things should be
Probably random parts of his work?
@@shahinkh590 50% to little.
Using that thanos theme in the background is a nice touch.
Thanos wasn't lifting himself up as a god when he collected the infinity stones, regardless of how his servants worshipped him. I don't think Thanos even ever saw his actions as good. He wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to make it a random, "fair" process otherwise.
Some have looked at his fears of overpopulation and declared his population culling wrong and unneeded, because wealth is not a zero sum game, so life could turn out better even with the large population. These people misunderstand the scope of Thanos's argument. The amount of wealth in the universe is not really a zero sum game. The amount of matter in the universe is. The amount of usable energy is.
Thanos's world was clearly more advanced than Earth. Now suppose a technological ceiling was hit. Your tech isn't getting any faster, your infrastructure can become no more efficient. If Titan was in a massive period of developmemt and growth, both in terms of population and tech, what happens when the laws of physics bring science to a halt? Populations don't adjust instantly. Globally, they crashed. There was nothing new left to tap into, no great innovation that could let them live as they had been.
Drastic, even gruesome, measures had to be taken. Only Thanos was willing to make that sacrifice. So when it all died before it needed to, Thanos was left to watch the universe, full of people who couldn't see the big picture.
Theoretically, civilisations could survive for mind boggling amounts of time by powering themselves with black holes, once stars are gone. Unless carelessness destroys it all before its time. So in order to ensure that life survives as long as possible into the eventual famine, none can afford to lazily feast in times of plenty.
Thanos's great flaw was in his method. He had done it the hard way for so long, lining people up to be shot, that once the stones were finally in his grasp, he had lost the ability to see his opportunity to rewrite the rules of the game and end suffering without sacrifice.
A big picture view for a mortal being, but too small a picture to be a decent god.
Well written, and accurate.
0:50 You can blame Hugo Weaving for not wanting to return as Red Skull for The Avengers and Universal for not giving the full Hulk rights back to Marvel/Disney, preventing us from getting The Leader as a recurring villain. Sometimes I really wish there was an Avengers movie set between the events of Infinity War and Endgame featuring Red Skull and The Leader as the main villains, along with Mitchell Carson/Abomination & Gargoyle as their henchmen.
The best Villains are the Heroes of their stories.
handsome jack moment
THANOS IN MCU - A literal god who wants to save the universe with mercy !
THANOS IN COMICS - A One Sided lover of LaDy DeAtH , a complete mad person.
Thanos was too merciful.
Not 50% but 100% free helicopter rides.
"snaps finger"
Maybe in his beginning, he wasn't the vengeful and hateful character that we saw in Infinity War. He tried to warn his kind of their extinction. But nobody listened. Maybe as he was just young at the time. When he grew up he knew what other planets will suffer so he took it upon himself to 'help', even if the way he helped is genocide.
In a long time? He's one of the best. Period. :)
Thanos killed his daughter for personal gain.He could have sacrificed his own vision which he loved most and surely not her daughter. Hope you still don't understand.
For me the most terrifying thing about Thanos was that, half of the people I watched the movie with agredd with him AND his actions!
Great that I found this channel today!
It's like the snap had some form of ripple effect into reality.
lol I don’t emphasize with Thanos but he was an entertaining comic book villain. No redeeming qualities
Thanos is a G....We love the bad guy ..
We just lie about it
In movies yea but not real life unless your a psychopath
@@milboxr9772 Take a look at the leaders so many of us follow blindly and you'll know psychopathy is unnecessary to love someone "bad".
@@matheusorth5365 id call that more of misinformation/misdirection
I have shivers because the music and the script work so well and it’s hella creepy
The moment I heard that opening line from Thanos in the cinema, I instantly knew I'd love this guy. There is a scary part in all humans, I think, that admires such perfect bad guys as much as they are scared of them.